Resource forecasting and scheduling

ABSTRACT

Methods and computer systems for forecasting demand and availability of resources of a geographic region are provided. Physical, operational, traffic and construction data for a geographic region for a specified time period is utilized to compare the operational needs for at least one resource for a geographic region to the available resources to forecast demands and availability of the at least one resource for the geographic region over the specified time period and determine whether the demand for the at least one resource exceeds the availability of the at least one resource. The forecasted demand and availability of the at least one resource for the geographic region for the specified time period is stored and presented.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of priority of the U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 60/867,345, filed on Nov. 27, 2006. The aforementionedapplication is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

SUMMARY

This summary is generally provided to introduce the reader to one ormore concepts described in the detailed description in a simplifiedform. This summary is not intended to identify the invention or even keyfeatures, which is the purview of the claims below.

In one embodiment, methods and computer systems for forecasting demandand availability of resources of a geographic region are provided.Physical, operational, traffic and construction data for a geographicregion for a specified time period is utilized to compare theoperational needs for at least one resource for a geographic region tothe available resources to forecast demands and availability of the atleast one resource for the geographic region over the specified timeperiod and to determine whether the demand for the at least one resourceexceeds the availability of the at least one resource. The forecasteddemand and availability of the at least one resource for the geographicregion for the specified time period is stored and presented.

In another embodiment, a computer system for forecasting demand andavailability of resources of a geographic region is provided. Thecomputer system includes a receiving component configured for receivingand facilitating the storing of physical, operational, traffic andconstruction data for a geographic region for a specified time period.The computer system further includes a comparing component configuredfor comparing the operational needs for at least one resource for ageographic region for a specified time period from the operational datato the resources indicated as being available from the physical data,construction data and traffic data to forecast demands and availabilityof the at least one resource for the geographic region over thespecified time period and to determine if the demand for the at leastone resource exceeds the availability of the at least one resource. Thecomputer system further includes a storing component that stores theforecasted demand and availability of the at least one resource for thegeographic region for the specified time period.

In another embodiment, a computer system for scheduling resources for ageographic region is provided. A receiving component receives a requestfor scheduling one or more resources of the geographic region and adetermining component for determining the availability of the resource.A priority component determines the priority of the one or moreresources and the priority of the group for which the resources arebeing scheduled. A resource scheduling component schedules the one ormore resources. An associating component associates and stores thescheduled resources, group and location of the resources scheduled on ageospatial model.

In yet another embodiment, a computer-implemented method for forecastingdemand and availability of resources for a military installation isprovided. Physical, operational, traffic and construction data for amilitary installation for a specified time period is received andstored. The operational needs for at least one resource for the militaryinstallation for a specified time period from the operational data arecompared to the resources indicated as being available from the physicaldata, construction data and traffic data to forecast demands andavailability of the at least one resource for the geographic region overthe specified time period and to determine if the demand for the atleast one resource exceeds the availability of the at least oneresource. The forecasted demand and availability of the at least oneresource for the military installation for the specified time period isstored and presenting to a user in a geospatial model.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below withreference to the attached drawing figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a computing system environment suitable foruse in implementing the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a computer system that forecasts andschedules resources for a geographic region in accordance withembodiments of the present invention;

FIGS. 3A and 3B are schematic diagrams illustrating a system forforecasting and scheduling resources for a military installation inaccordance with embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates a method in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention for presenting forecasted demand and availability ofresources for a geographic region;

FIG. 5 illustrates a method in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention for presenting adjusted forecasted demand andavailability of resources in a geographic region;

FIG. 6 illustrates a method in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention for scheduling resources in a geographic region;

FIG. 7 illustrates a method in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention for presenting scheduling data for one or moreresources on a geospatial model;

FIG. 8 depicts a graphical user interface for presenting forecasteddemand and availability of resources for a geographic region over periodof time in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 depicts a graphical user interface that presents forecasteddemand and availability of range resources in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 depicts a graphical user interface that presents forecasteddemand and availability of range resources over time in accordance withan embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 depicts a graphical user interface and method for presentingforecasted demand and availability of traffic resources in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 depicts a graphical user interface and method for presenting aresource construction schedule in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 13 depicts a graphical user interface and method for changing aresource construction schedule in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 14 depicts a graphical user interface that presents scheduling datafor one or more resources within a geographic region on a geospatialmodel in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 15 depicts a graphical user interface that presents a schedule fora group in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 16 depicts a graphical user interface that presents scheduling datafor a group on a geospatial model in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 17 depicts a graphical user interface that presents scheduling datafor a group in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 18 depicts a graphical user interface that presents geospatialmodel and timeline in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 19 depicts a graphical user interface of a geospatial model andscheduling data for a resource in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 20 depicts a graphical user interface and scheduling data for aclassroom resource in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 21 depicts a graphical user interface presenting scheduling datafor multiple resources within a geographic region in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 22 depicts a graphical user interface of a three-dimensionalgeospatial model and forecasted traffic in accordance with an embodimentof the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The subject matter of embodiments of the present invention is describedwith specificity herein to meet statutory requirements. However, thedescription itself is not intended to limit the scope of this patent.Rather, the inventors have contemplated that the claimed subject mattermight also be embodied in other ways, to include different steps orcombinations of steps similar to the ones described in this document, inconjunction with other present or future technologies. Moreover,although the terms “step” and/or “block” may be used herein to connotedifferent elements of methods employed, the terms should not beinterpreted as implying any particular order among or between varioussteps herein disclosed unless and except when the order of individualsteps is explicitly described.

With reference to FIG. 1, computing device 100 includes a bus 110 thatdirectly or indirectly couples the following elements: memory 112, oneor more processors 114, one or more presentation components 116,input/output ports 118, input/output components 120, and an illustrativepower supply 122. Bus 110 represents what may be one or more busses(such as an address bus, data bus, or combination thereof). Although thevarious blocks of FIG. 1 are shown with lines for the sake of clarity,in reality, delineating various components is not so clear, andmetaphorically, the lines would more accurately be gray and fuzzy. Forexample, one may consider a presentation component such as a displaydevice to be an I/O component. Also, processors have memory. It shouldbe noted that the diagram of FIG. 1 is merely illustrative of anexemplary computing device that can be used in connection with one ormore embodiments of the present invention. Distinction is not madebetween such categories as “workstation,” “server,” “laptop,” “hand-helddevice,” etc., as all are contemplated within the scope of FIG. 1 andreference to “computing device.”

Computing device 100 typically includes a variety of computer-readablemedia. By way of example, and not limitation, computer-readable mediamay comprise Random Access Memory (RAM); Read Only Memory (ROM);Electronically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM); flashmemory or other memory technologies; CDROM, digital versatile disks(DVD) or other optical or holographic media; magnetic cassettes,magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devicesor any other medium that can be used to encode desired information andbe accessed by computing device 100.

Memory 112 includes computer-storage media in the form of volatileand/or nonvolatile memory. The memory may be removable, nonremovable, ora combination thereof. Exemplary hardware devices include solid-statememory, hard drives, optical-disc drives, etc. Computing device 100includes one or more processors that read data from various entitiessuch as memory 112 or I/O components 120. Presentation component(s) 116present data indications to a user or other device. Exemplarypresentation components include a display device, speaker, printingcomponent, vibrating component, etc.

I/O ports 118 allow computing device 100 to be logically coupled toother devices including I/O components 120, some of which may be builtin. Illustrative components include a microphone, joystick, game pad,satellite dish, scanner, printer, wireless device, etc.

Embodiments of the present invention provide computer systems,computer-implemented methods, systems, methods and computer-readablemedia for automatically forecasting and scheduling resources for ageographic region for a period of time. FIG. 2 illustrates a system 200for forecasting and scheduling resources for a geographic region. Ageographic region is also a defined geographic area. In one embodiment,a geographic region is more than one (1) square mile, while in otherembodiments, a geographic region is more than ten (10) square miles insize. Exemplary geographic regions may have native terrain, roadways,buildings, structures, parks and other infrastructure. Exemplary regionsmay include military installations, army bases, naval bases, air forcebases, municipalities, cities, states, universities, schools andairports.

The system 200 includes a forecasting module 252 and a scheduling module240. The forecasting module 252 utilizes operational data 202,construction data 204, traffic data 206, and physical data 208 toforecast demand and availability for at least one resource for thegeographic region. In some embodiments the forecasting module 252utilizes data 202, 204, 206 and 208 to forecast multiple resources for ageographic region. The scheduling module 240 receives requests forscheduling a group for one or more resources of a geographic region, andassociates a scheduled resource for the group with a geospatial model.

The system 200 may include a data engine 212. The data engine 212 is amodule that may be configured to process a variety of data for use bythe forecasting module 252 and scheduling module 240 and for display onor within graphical user interface 254. The data engine 212 receivesinformation in the form of digital data from data sources 202, 204, 206and 208. Data engine 212 may parse and process digital data and store itin storage modules so that it may be utilized by modules 240 and 252. Itwill be appreciated that a variety of data may be transferred from datastores 202, 204, 206 and 208 to data engine 212. It will also beappreciated while data stores 202, 204, 206 and 208 are depicted asbeing a plurality of storage devices, data may be stored in oneintegrated database, multiple databases or a single or multiple databaseclusters. It will be appreciated that data sources 202, 204, 206 and 208may include third-party data, such as government and municipality data.

Operational data store 202 includes data such as required resources tocomplete certain requirements and/or requests. Resources may includebuildings, rooms, land, roadways, repairs, personnel, groups andtransportation. The operational data includes business rules related tothe resources. The operational data may include what is needed tocomplete requirements. For example, if a roadway is in need of repair,the business rules may include the resources such as personnel,consumables and timing for repair of roadways within the geographicregion. In another example, a soldier for a particular unit of the armymay need to complete a particular course of study. The operational datamay include the physical ranges and classrooms needed to complete thestudy, along with the consumables (ammunition and weapons) andinstructors to complete the course of study.

Construction data store 204 includes information and data regarding thecompletion of construction, such as construction of buildings andinfrastructure. Exemplary construction data may include identificationof the construction, type of construction, estimated start andcompetition dates of constructions, engineering documents and potentialimpacts on other facilities, environment and other construction.

Traffic data store 206 includes traffic data such as baseline trafficflow, traffic related to training executions, traffic related toconstruction, routes and alternative routes, and peak flow. Baselineflow traffic data includes normal traffic information for the geographicregion. Training execution-related traffic includes traffic for thetravel of groups or units within the geographic region, such as amilitary base. Construction-related traffic data includes trafficinformation regarding construction vehicles moving and closed roads dueto construction. Peak flow traffic data includes rush hour traffic flowsuch as in the morning and evening. Traffic data may also includepedestrian traffic information, road closures, different road networksfor different vehicles (e.g., such as roads for tanks vs. roads forpassenger vehicles). Although the traffic data is depicted withreference to a military base, it will be appreciated that theconstruction data may apply to any geographic region.

Physical data store 208 stores data related to civil information,architectural, roadway, electrical, water/wastewater, communications,housing, ranges, environmental, training, air field operations, roadnetworks, terrain, building locations, unit locations, range locations,training facility locations, and classroom locations. The physical datamay also include digital aerial and satellite images and digital maps.In some embodiments the physical data may be utilized to create ageospatial model for the geographic region. The geospatial model may betwo-dimensional or three-dimensional. A three-dimensional geospatialmodel may be a digital terrain model having X, Y, and Z coordinates. Athree-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system may be utilized to developa digital terrain model. The X coordinate is conventionally thehorizontal coordinate in the coordinate system, the Y coordinate istypically a vertical coordinate, and the Z coordinate typically providesa reference in the three-dimensional space. It will be appreciated thata geospatial model may also be created utilizing 2-dimensional aerialimages, satellite images, digital maps and scanned maps.

As shown in FIG. 2, system 200 includes a forecasting module 252 and ascheduling module 240. Although depicted as part of system 200, in someembodiments, one or more of the illustrated modules may be implementedas stand-alone applications. In other embodiments, one or more of theillustrated modules may be integrated directly into an operating systemof a server or an end-user device. It will be understood that themodules illustrated in FIG. 2 are exemplary in nature and in number andshould not be construed as limiting. Any number of modules may beemployed to achieve the desired functionality within the scope ofembodiments. Further, modules may be located on any number of servers ofcomputers.

Forecasting module 252 is configured to forecast the demand andavailability of resources of a geographic region for a given timeperiod. It will be appreciated that the time period for forecastingresources for the geographic region may be for any period of timeincluding an hour, a day, weeks, months and years. Resources mayinclude, but are not limited to, one or more sets of equipment,buildings, classrooms, roadways, housing, personnel, consumables andfacilities. Forecasting module 252 includes a receiving component forreceiving operational data 202, construction data 204, traffic data 206and physical data 208. It will also be appreciated that the operationaldata 202, construction data 204, traffic data 206 and physical data 208may be bits of data received directly from the data stores or may be inthe form of information processed by data engine 212.

The demand and availability of resources may depend on the number oftimes a resource has been requested to be utilized for a time period andthe number of available resources. Forecasting module 252 also includesa comparing component for comparing the operational needs for resourcesfrom the operational data 202 to the resources indicated as beingavailable from the physical data 208, construction data 204 and trafficdata 206 to determine if there are enough resources to meet theoperational needs. It will be appreciated that multiple resources may beforecasted for the geographical region. For example, the comparingcomponent of forecasting module 252 matches training and housing needsfor twenty (20) military units to be sent to a military base from Julythrough September (data from operational database 202) to the availableresources (e.g., barracks, classrooms, ranges, transportation,ammunition, weapons and instructors) for July through September asindicated in construction data 204, traffic data 206 and physical data208 to assess whether there are enough available resources to meet thetraining and housing needs for the arriving twenty military units.

Forecasting module 252 also includes a storing component for storing theforecasted demand and availability of resources for the geographicregion. The forecasted demand for one or more resources for thegeographic region may be stored in data store 280.

Forecasting module 252 is in communication with user interface 254 topresent the forecasted demands and available resources for a geographicregion. It will be appreciated that the forecasted demands and availableresources may be presented in a variety of ways. The forecastedresources and demands may be presented or displayed on a graphical userinterface of a user device such as that shown in FIG. 8. Thepresentation may be bar graphs, graphical representations, numericalrepresentations, and/or textual representations. The forecasted demandand availability of resources may be represented graphically in ageospatial model such as a two-dimensional aerial or satellite map. Byway of example, with reference to FIG. 9, a graphical user interface 900depicts a geospatial model 910 of a military base utilizing a digitalsatellite image. Interface 900 includes a graphical representation 915of the forecasted available resources 920 (capabilities) versus thedemand for resources 925 for the geographic region on Feb. 15, 2008(905). In this example, the resources are small arms ranges on amilitary base.

A user can request to view a time lapsed view for the depicted resource.For example, with reference to FIG. 10, a time lapsed graphical userinterface 1000 depicts the same geospatial model for the military baseutilizing a digital satellite image. Interface 1000 includes a graphicalrepresentation 1020 of the forecasted available resources versus thedemand for resources for the geographic region on Jun. 10, 2011 (1005).Again, in this example, the resources are small arms ranges on amilitary base. As can be seen from FIGS. 9 and 10, the forecastedavailable resources (ranges) has increased. The new forecasted ranges1015 that are to be completed by the year 2011 are displayed on thegeospatial model 1010. It will be appreciated that from the geospatialmodel, one or more resources may be selected or drilled down on to viewscheduling information and information about the resource. For example,on FIG. 10, if range 1025 is selected by the user, a closer view of therange along with scheduling information for the range for the requestedtime period may be presented. An exemplary graphical user interface 1400of the closer view of the geospatial model and requested resource isshown in FIG. 14. FIG. 14 depicts a close up image of a small arms range1410 with related scheduling information 1415. In one embodiment, theforecasted demand and availability of resources may be presented in athree dimensional, digital train model as shown in FIG. 22. FIG. 22 is agraphical user interface 2200 presenting the forecasted demand andavailability for roadway resources as a three-dimensional traffic modelfor a time period. It will be appreciated that three-dimensionalmodeling may be done utilizing any variety of methods and systems,including, but not limited to, the modeling described in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/469,679.

Scheduling module 240 is configured to schedule resources for thegeographic region. The scheduling module 240 includes a receivingcomponent for receiving a request for scheduling one or more resourcesof the geographic region. In one embodiment, the scheduling for the oneor more resources is for scheduling a person or a group of persons toutilize the one or more resources. For example, on a military base, theleader of a military unit may request to schedule a classroom and arange so that his or her unit may complete their necessary training. Insome embodiments, the request is approved by another user, such as anadministrator or senior officer, before the resources may be scheduled.The scheduled resource information may also be utilized by forecastingmodule 252.

The scheduling module 240 further includes a determining component fordetermining the availability of the resource. The availability of theresource may be determined from the construction data 204, traffic data206 and physical data 208. For example, it may be determined whetherthere is an available range for the requested time period.

The scheduling module further has a priority component for determiningthe priority of the group for which the resources are being scheduled.The priority component utilizes operational data 202 to determine thepriority level of the request. In some embodiments, the priority levelof the request may depend on the priority level of the person or groupfor which the request has been made. For example, where the geographicregion is a military base, the priority of the person or unit may dependon whether or not the unit will be deployed for combat, when the unitwill be deployed for combat, and what additional course work that theunit may need to complete. It will be appreciated that a priority levelgiven to a request, person or group may be determined based on a varietyof factors.

Scheduling module 240 also includes a resource scheduling componentconfigured for scheduling the one or more resources. Again the resourcesmay be scheduled based on availability of the resource for the giventime period and may be based on priority of the request, person orgroup. The scheduled resource may be stored in a database, such as datastore 208, and may also be communicated or presented to the requesterutilizing user interface 254.

The scheduling module 240 further includes an associating componentconfigured for associating the scheduled resources, group and locationof the resources scheduled on a geospatial model. The association may bestored in a database, such as data store 208 and presented orcommunicated utilizing a user interface, such as user interface 254.

In some embodiments, one or more of the illustrated components may beimplemented as stand-alone applications or may be integrated directlyinto an operating system of a server. It will be appreciated that thecomponents illustrated and discussed in FIGS. 2, 3A and 3B are exemplaryin nature and number and should not be construed as limiting. Any numberof components may be employed to achieve the desired functionalitywithin the scope of embodiments herein.

Referring next to FIGS. 3A and 3B, a system for forecasting andscheduling resources for a military base is provided. The system forforecasting and scheduling resources may be utilized for the BaseRealignment and Closure (BRAC) 2005. Due to BRAC, certain military baseswill yield a net increase of up to 15,000 additional soldiers, civiliansand students. The system described in FIGS. 3A and 3B will assist indeveloping a Maneuver Center of Excellence (MCOE) operations model thatwill support the military installation, match training requirements forthe influx of soldiers with available resources, identify resourceshortfalls (new construction completion versus student load timing,understand the impact of the influx in soldiers, civilians and studentson the road network) and assist the military installation in schedulingand maintaining training resources.

Operational data 202, construction data 204, traffic data 206 andphysical data 208 may be parsed and processed by data engine 212 intousable information stored in modules. Exemplary modules include infantryschool resource requirements module 314, armor RRM module 316,deployable units RRM module 318, other schools RRM module 320, other RRMmodules 322, construction module 324, time phased traffic module 326,range modules 328, road network module 330, constraints module 332, andclassroom module 334. Resource and requirement modules 314, 316, 318,320 and 322 may include the fill schedules, course lay down schedules,specific lessons taught on each of the course lay down schedule,resources required to complete the lessons and a variety of trainingguidance information.

Construction module 324 may include construction information pertainingto corps of engineer schedules and requirements or any engineeringentities schedule and requirements. The time phased traffic module 326may include traffic information such as construction related traffic,traffic simulation that reflects how the army moves andorigin/destination specific movement information. Range module 328 mayinclude information regarding range facility management, listing ofranges and capabilities of the ranges. Road network module 330 mayinclude physical data such as a geospatial information system and thelike. Constraints module 332 may contain information regarding theenvironment of the geographic region (e.g., bodies of water, woodlands,deserts, swamps and the like). Classroom module 334 includes facilitiesinformation, simulators and parade grounds. The information in modules314-334 is stored in data warehouse 336 so that it may be utilized byscheduling module 240 and forecasting module 252. Data warehouse 336 mayalso be secure 338 so that only authorized users can access the data.

Exemplary operational database 202 includes data such as requiredresources to complete certain requirements and/or requests. Operationaldata stored in database 202 for a military base may include, but is notlimited to, training schedules for military units, housing requirementsfor military units, medical care for military units, consumables neededby military units, dates of arrival and departure for military units,resources needed to complete the course of training for units andschools, such as classrooms, ranges, ammunition, instructors andweapons.

Construction data store 204 includes information and data regarding thecompletion of construction, such as construction of buildings andinfrastructure. Exemplary construction data for a military base mayinclude range constructions on a military base, infrastructureimprovements, the impact of construction on road networks, and impactson other facilities. Although depicted as construction data for amilitary base, it will be appreciated that the construction data may befor any geographic region.

Traffic data store 206 includes traffic data such as baseline trafficflow, traffic related to training executions, traffic related toconstruction, routes and alternative routes, and peak flow. Baselineflow traffic data includes normal traffic for the geographic region.Training execution-related traffic includes traffic for the travel ofgroups or units within the geographic region, such as a military base.Construction-related traffic data includes traffic information regardingconstruction vehicles moving and closing of roads due to construction.Peak flow traffic data includes rush hour traffic flow such as in themorning and evening. Traffic data may also include pedestrian trafficinformation, road closures, and different road networks for differentvehicles (e.g., such as roads for tanks vs. roads for passengervehicles). Although the traffic data is depicted with reference to amilitary base, it will be appreciated that the construction data mayapply to any geographic region.

Physical data store 208 stores data related to civil information,architectural, roadway, electrical, water/wastewater, communications,housing, ranges, environmental, training, air field operations, roadnetworks, terrain, building locations, unit locations, range locations,training facility locations, and classroom locations. The physical datamay also include digital aerial and satellite images and digital maps.In some embodiments the physical data may be utilized to create ageospatial model for the geographic region. As before, the geospatialmodel may be two-dimensional or three-dimensional. The three-dimensionalgeospatial model may be a digital training model having X, Y, and Zcoordinates. It will be appreciated that a geospatial model may alsoutilize aerial and satellite images, and digital maps in two dimensions.

Scheduling module 240 includes a training facility/classroom enginescheduler 341 and a traffic engine route selector 350. The trainingfacility/classroom engine scheduler 341 schedules training facilitiesand classroom resources. In some embodiments, the schedulinginformation, such as the location, time and group scheduled for aparticular resource, may be utilized by the forecasting module 252 toforecast the demand and availability of resources, such as classrooms orroadways, for a given time period.

In one embodiment, the facilities scheduler 341 may run a routine todetermine whether a particular group may be scheduled for a particularresource. The scheduler 341 determines if there is a shortfall offacilities/resources 342. If so, the facility scheduler 341 may run aresource leveling routine 344 to determine if there are alternatives tothe requested facility or resources. The facility scheduler 341determines whether the group for which the resource is being scheduledis flexible 346. If the group is not flexible, the shortfall of theresources is determined to be an unscheduled requirement 348 and thisinformation may be displayed in a shortfall report 358.

The traffic engine route selector 350 selects a route of travel based onthe priority of the group, such as a military unit. The route selector350 is configured to schedule travel on a road and/or route until it isdetermined that the route is full and then groups with lower priorityare shifted to alternative or secondary routes. If a group is shifted toa lower priority or a secondary route, the group schedule would reflectthe increase or decrease in travel time. Groups with the highestpriority, for instance units scheduled for deployment on a militarybase, would be scheduled on the highest priority route with the lowesttravel time. In some embodiments, the route selection information,including the defined origination/destination and travel routeinformation for multiple groups (such as units) may be considered to betraffic data utilized by the forecasting module 252 to forecast thedemand and availability of resources, such as roadways, for a given timeperiod. Further, in another embodiment, the route selector 350 maydivide a road and/or route up into scheduled increments or windows ofallowed travel (march credits) for a particular group (or unit). Forexample, the route selector 350 may divide a route for a unit intomultiple segments. The unit would be scheduled to complete each segmentin a specified time period (e.g., route is divided into four segments,each segment should be completed in 15 minutes).

Scheduling information from scheduling module 240 and forecastinginformation from forecasting module 252 may be viewed through viewer246. Exemplary presentations of scheduling and forecasting informationincludes a graphical portrayal 356, shortfall report 358, end statesnapshot 360, range maintenance tool 362, timing of faculty assignments364, a two-day simulation 366, GANTT chart 368, reports 370, classroomassignments 372, a two-day green/amber/red indicator 374 and trafficflow display 376.

The system provides military leaders with an operational model anddecision support tool that visually and graphically portrays aninstallation's current and projected functions and activities over timealong with its operational requirements and matching resources. Thesystem assists with understanding the impact of changes to the militaryinstallation and enables a military installation to execute itsoperational mission efficiently.

With reference to FIG. 4, a flow diagram illustrating a method 400 forpresenting the forecasted demands and available resources for ageographic region is shown. At step 405, operational, construction,traffic, and physical data for a geographic region is received. At step410 the data received for the region is stored. At step 415, theoperational needs for resources from the operational data is compared tothe resources available from the physical, construction, and trafficdata to forecast demand and availability of resources for the geographicregion and determine if there are enough resources to meet the demandfor the time period. It will be appreciated that multiple resources maybe forecasted over a given time period. Resources, including, but notlimited to, one or more sets of equipment, buildings, classrooms,roadways, housing, personnel, consumables and facilities may beforecasted for a geographic region. At step 420, the forecasted demandfor resources to the geographic region is stored. At step 425, theforecasted demands and resources for the geographic region are presentedto a user.

Referring next to FIG. 5, a method 500 for presenting the forecasteddemand and availability of resources for a geographic region is shown.The demand and availability of resources and any shortfalls in theresources may be presented for a particular period of time. At step 505,changes to the operational, construction, traffic, and/or physical datafor a geographic region are received. These changes may be entered by auser or may be based on scheduling data. At step 510, the changes to thedata for the geographic region are stored. At step 515, any adjustmentsthat need to be made on the forecasted demand for resources based on thechanges to the data are made. At step 520, the adjusted forecasteddemand is stored. At step 525, the adjusted forecasted demand andassociated resources are presented to a user, in some instances on aninteractive graphical user interface. This functionality allows forevaluation of the impact on resources to construction schedule changes,the evaluation of additional relocation or reorganization of groups(e.g., military units) and adjustment to requirements. For a militaryinstallation, a “what if” functionality is provided so that parametersand data may be adjusted to determine the impact of changes in resourcesand requirements, including but not limited to, an increase or decreasein population, deploying of a unit, change in unit size, change in unitrelocation timing, and change in the start date and completion date ofconstruction of resources. This is exemplified in FIGS. 12 and 13.

Referring next to FIG. 6, a method 600 for associating scheduledresources, a group and location of the resources is shown. At step 605,a request for scheduling for a group of one or more resources of ageographic region for a specific time period is received. At step 610,the availability of the one or more requested resources is determined.This may be done by accessing classroom schedules, range schedules,housing schedules and instructor schedules. This may also be determinedby accessing traffic route schedules. At step 612 the priority of theone or more resources to be scheduled is determined. For example, aparticular resource, such as a tank range may have a high priority andthus only certain groups may schedule the tank range. At step 615, thepriority of the group is determined. The priority of the group may bedetermined from operational data. For example, in a military baseapplication, the priority of the group may be affected by whether themilitary unit is being deployed. At step 620, one or more resources arescheduled for the group based on the priority of the group, theavailability of the resource and the priority of the resource. At step625, the scheduled resources group and location of the resources on thegeospatial model are associated. At step 630, the scheduling of theresources and the association information is stored.

Referring next to FIG. 7, a method for presenting to a user schedulingdata for one or more resources within a geographic region for thespecific time period is shown. At step 705, a geospatial model for ageographic reason for a specific time period is presented as a graphicaluser interface. At step 710, scheduling data for one or more resourceswithin the geographic region is presented to the user on the geospatialmodel. Exemplary graphical user interfaces with scheduling data for oneor more resources in a geospatial model are shown in FIGS. 14, 16, 19,and 21.

It will be appreciated that all of the graphical user interfacesdescribed below contain displays and may be interacted with by a user.Furthermore, each user interface comprises a variety of fieldsdisplaying information and data. In some embodiments, fields within thegraphical user interface may be populated, selected, interacted with ordrilled down upon by a user. In response to user interaction, additionalinformation may be presented to the user on a different graphical userinterface display or on the currently presented graphical user interfacedisplay. Furthermore, throughout the following graphical user interfacesthe user is provided with the capability of selecting or specifying thetime period for which they want to view a geospatial model, forecastingdata and scheduling data. Thus, the graphical user interfaces may bepresented for any variety of time periods for which information or datais available.

FIG. 8 is an interactive graphical user interface 800 or dashboard. Thecontent presented on graphical user interface 800 is based on the userand security level of the user. For example, a leader or commander mayhave security to view all forecasted demand and availability ofresources and all scheduling data for resources, while a unit leader orrequester may only be able to view a weeks worth of scheduling data forresources for his or her unit.

Exemplary user interface 800 includes a graphical representation 805 ofthe number of soldiers being trained on the base over the period of ayear. Interface 800 also includes the Maneuver Center of Excellence(MCOE) master calendar 815 depicting forecasted demand and availabilityof resources over a five (5) year period. Interface 800 also depictscharts of forecasted critical assets 810 for the military base includingranges, classrooms, weapons, ammunition, transportation, barracks andpower projection platform (PPP). Critical assets 810 that are limited inforecasted capacity and availability may be highlighted. In FIG. 8, theforecasted availability of ranges is limited, and as such the ranges arehighlighted.

Furthermore, critical assets 810 may be colored coded to indicateforecasted capacity level. Interface 800 also includes a graphicalrepresentation 820 of forecasted capabilities versus requirements. Ascan be seen from the interface, the number of ranges forecasted to beavailable for training in February 2008 (825) is limited. From interface800, data for other dates and time periods 825 may be accessed. Forexample, a user may wish to view the forecasted demand and availabilityof resources for March 2008 by selecting the date from field 825. A usermay also link to other data by selecting a field including commandinformation 830, training information 835, MCOE transformationinformation 840, PPP information 845 and a forecasting tool 850.

By way of example, the military construction forecasting tool 850 may beselected, thereby linking a user to graphical user interface 1200 forforecasting tool 850 of FIG. 12. Interactive graphical user interface1200 depicts a construction master calendar 1205. Graphical userinterface 1200 also includes graphical representations of criticalassets 1225 and capabilities vs. requirements 1220. Construction mastercalendar 1205 depicts construction projects for the military base overthe next five (5) years. Each block on the construction master calendardepicts a different construction project, including housing, classrooms,ranges, mess halls and the like. For each block 1210, pertinentconstruction information may be displayed in a pop-up window or thelike. For example window 1215 includes construction information ormetadata related to training barracks being constructed. Furthermore,window 1215 includes a link to a portable document formal (PDF) copy ofan engineering document, such as a corps of engineering document. A usermay also link to unit information 1235, training information 1240,deployment information 1245 and other resources 1250 from interface1200.

Graphical user interface 1200 is interactive and a user may change theprojected completion date, start date and/or duration of a constructionproject by moving the construction block 1210 or by otherwise enteringthe change. For example, if the start date and completion date fortraining barracks 1215 will be delayed, a user may make the change andrerun the application to assess the impact of the construction change onthe forecasted demand and availability of resources for the time period.

With reference to FIG. 13, a graphical user interface 1300 forforecasting tool 850 depicting the impact of the change in the startdate and the completion date of the construction of the trainee barracksis shown. As can be seen in FIG. 13, a shortage of trainee barracks inlight of the construction change is reflected the graphicalrepresentations of critical assets 1315 and capabilities vs.requirements 1310. Furthermore, a link to a report to help solve theresource shortage may be provided. For example, the report depictingavailable beds in other barracks may be accessed so that a unit maystill be transferred to the military base even with the constructiondelay. It will be appreciated that, while FIGS. 12 and 13 depictresources for constructed buildings, similar graphical user interfacesmay be used to depict a variety of resources for the military base or ageographic region.

By way of example, the forecasting tool 850 in FIG. 8 may be selected,thereby linking a user to graphical user interface 1100 of FIG. 11.Graphical user interface 1100 of includes a geospatial model 1105 ofroadways 1110 on the military base at 16:45 hours on Feb. 15, 2008.Utilizing the traffic data for the military base, a traffic back-up isforecasted during this time period at intersection 1115. The forecastingmodule may determine that the forecasted demand for the roadwayresources exceeds the capacity of the roadway and intersection, and assuch, the area where the traffic back-up is forecasted is highlighted toindicate to the user that vehicles using the intersection 1115 duringthis time period may be delayed.

Referring next to FIG. 14, an exemplary graphical user interface 1400 ofa geospatial model for a resource and related scheduling information1415 is shown. FIG. 14 depicts a close-up image of a small arms range1410 for time period 1405 of Jan. 12, 2008 at 9:00 a.m. Interface 1400includes an indicator 1435, such as an icon, indicating that the rangeis scheduled or forecasted to be in use for that time period. In thisexample, Malone 12 range is being utilized by unit: A/2-81 AR duringtime period 1405. Furthermore, while the range is in use, the surfacedanger zone 1430 (area where a bullet may stray) may be depicted on thegeographic model for the range along with the closure of a road passingthrough danger zone 1430 (road is closed due to the surface dangerzone).

It will be appreciated that a user may also be able to link or selectthe training schedule for the unit 1420 from interface 1400. FIG. 15 isa graphical user interface of the training schedule for unit A/2-81 ARfor the week of Jan. 11, 2008. As can be seen from FIGS. 14 and 15,scheduling data may be easily viewed by a user from a geospatial model.Furthermore, additional scheduling data for the unit may be easilyaccessed from the geospatial model.

By way of example but not limitation, with reference to FIG. 15, forunit A/2-81 AR to complete the M240 Qualification on Jan. 12, 2007, avariety of resources will need to be scheduled and made available tounit A/2-81 AR. The multiple resources to be scheduled and madeavailable to unit A/2-81 AR include weapons, ammunition, instructors,ambulance transportation, a range venue (here, Malone 12), activation ofthe surface danger zone and closure of roads within the surface dangerzone, training aids, devices, simulations, simulators, transportationand a scheduled road network to travel to and from the range venue.

By way of example, the scheduled road network may be the scheduledincremental movement or windows of allowed travel of the unit (or marchcredits). For example, unit A/2-81 AR may be scheduled to start trainingon range Malone 12 at 9:00 a.m. on Jan. 12, 2008. It is determined thatit will take approximately one hour and 30 minutes for A/2-81 AR totravel from their barracks to range Malone 12. As such, the road networkbetween A/2-81 AR barracks and range Malone 12 is divided into threesegments. The unit may be scheduled to complete each segment in 30minutes. Progress of the unit and completion of each segment may bemonitored by checkpoints along the road network.

As such, Unit A/2-81 AR should leave their barracks at 7:30 a.m.,complete segment 1 by 8:00 a.m., complete segment 2 by 8:30 and segment3 by 9:00 having them arrive at Malone 12 at 9:00 a.m. to begintraining. These incremental segments or windows of allowed travel may bescheduled for a group, such as unit A/2-81 AR and the scheduled travelmay be depicted on a graphical user interface depicting a geospatialmodel to be tracked by users.

Referring next to FIG. 16, an exemplary graphical user interface 1600 ofa geospatial model for a resource and related scheduling information1615 is shown. FIG. 16 depicts a close-up image of a small arms range1610 for time period 1605 of Jan. 12, 2008 at 9:00 a.m. Interface 1600includes an indicator, such as an icon, indicating that the range isscheduled or forecasted to be in use for that time period. Thescheduling information 1615 includes information regarding the resource(range) and regarding the unit scheduled to utilize the range.

It will be appreciated that a user may also be able to link or selectthe scheduling information 1620 from interface 1600 to view morescheduling information for the resource. FIG. 17 is a graphical userinterface of the training schedule the resource (e.g., Malone 12 range)for Jan. 11, 2008. For example, FIG. 17 shows the different groups orunits scheduled to utilize the resource the week of Jan. 11, 2008. Ascan be seen from FIGS. 16 and 17, scheduling data for the resource maybe easily viewed by a user from a geospatial mode and additionalscheduling data for the resource may be easily accessed from thegeospatial model.

FIG. 18 depicts a graphical user interface 1800 that presents geospatialmodel 1810 and timeline 1805 in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention. A resource field 1815 may be selected from thegeospatial model 1810 by a user. Upon selection of the resource field1815, scheduling data for the resource and the time period may bepresented or displayed to the user. For example, upon selection ofresource field 1815, scheduling data for the selected classroom buildingresource for Jun. 10, 2011 may be presented to the user, as shown inFIG. 19.

FIG. 19 depicts a graphical user interface 1900 of a geospatial model1910 and scheduling data for a resource in accordance with an embodimentof the present invention. The resources depicted in FIG. 19 are aclassroom building and classrooms 1920. Information regarding whetherthe classrooms are scheduled and unscheduled for the time period 1905 ofJun. 11, 2007 at 9:00 a.m. is displayed. For example, an indication oricon 1915 identifies classrooms for which a class has been scheduled forthat time period. The available classrooms are numbered and shown asavailable (e.g., classrooms 8-10). Additional scheduling information1925 for each scheduled classroom may be shown in window 1920.Furthermore, additional information regarding the scheduled classroommay be linked 1930 so that a requester or leader may see the classroomschedule for that particular classroom for planning purposes. Forexample, an instructor may be looking for an open classroom for someperiod on Jun. 11, 2007. Upon selection of link or field 1930, graphicaluser interface 2000 of FIG. 20 may be presented.

FIG. 20 depicts a graphical user interface 2000 and scheduling data 2015for a classroom resource 2010 in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention. The scheduled classes and units for the classroomresource 2010 for the time period 2005 of Jun. 8, 2008 may be displayedin graphical user interface 2000. It will be appreciated that otherscheduling data may also be displayed in FIG. 20 as well. By way ofexample, with reference to FIG. 20, for unit A/1 19 IN to complete thecourse scheduled from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Jun. 10, 2011, multipleresources will need to be scheduled and made available for the unit. Forexample, the unit will need a classroom that seats 100 students, manualsfor 100 students, instructors, a projector and other training aids.These resources are scheduled by scheduling module 240 of FIG. 2 suchthat the unit can complete their required training course in a timelymanner.

FIG. 21 depicts a graphical user interface 2100 presenting schedulingdata for multiple resources 2105, 2110 and 2115 within a geographicregion in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2includes a geospatial model of a digital roadway map. The digitalroadway map includes roads and trails. From the map, a user can see whatroads and trails have been closed due to scheduled “conflict” or use ofranges or training area for the time period. Roadways or trails depictedby small dashed lines 2125 are closed due to scheduled conflict/use of arange. Roadways or trails depicted by large dashed lines 2120 are fullwith scheduled traffic. Roadways or trails depicted by solid lines 2130are available for use. In some embodiments, the roadway or trail closureand traffic volume may be color-coded.

Additional information for scheduled resources 2105, 2110 and 2115 isdepicted in pop-up windows. For example, the scheduled use of a rangeresource 2105 and related scheduling information is presented in pop-upwindow on the geospatial model. Scheduled use of a roadway resource 2110is presented in a pop-up window on the geospatial model. Scheduledclosure of roadway resource 2115 due to the scheduled use of the rangeis presented in a pop-up window on the geospatial model. While thescheduled resource and scheduling information is depicted as beingpresented in a pop-up window in FIG. 21, it will be appreciated that thescheduled resource and scheduling information may be presented ordisplayed in a variety of manners. From FIG. 21, a user may accuratelysee scheduled resources and the impact of the scheduled resources onother resources (e.g., scheduled use of range causes road closure andpeak traffic volume on roadways).

Embodiments described herein are intended in all respects to beillustrative rather than restrictive. Alternative embodiments willbecome apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departingfrom the scope of embodiments described herein.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that embodiments of the presentinvention are well adapted to attain ends and objects set forth above,together with other advantages which are obvious and inherent to thesystems and methods described. It will be understood that certainfeatures and sub-combinations are of utility and may be employed withoutreference to other features and sub-combinations. This is contemplatedby and is within the scope of the claims.

1. A computer system for forecasting demand and availability ofresources of a geographic region, the system comprising: a receivingcomponent configured for receiving and facilitating the storing ofphysical, operational, traffic and construction data for a geographicregion for a specified time period; a comparing component configured forcomparing the operational needs for at least one resource for ageographic region for a specified time period from the operational datato the resources indicated as being available from the physical data,construction data and traffic data to forecast demands and availabilityof the at least one resource for the geographic region over thespecified time period and to determine if the demand for the at leastone resource exceeds the availability of the at least one resource; anda storing component that stores the forecasted demand and availabilityof the at least one resource for the geographic region for the specifiedtime period.
 2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the operationaldata comprises resources needed to complete requirements or requests. 3.The computer system of claim 2, wherein the resources comprise one ormore of classrooms, buildings, land, ranges, roadways, repairs,personnel and transportation.
 4. The computer system of claim 3, whereinthe construction data is data regarding the start and completion datesof construction of buildings and infrastructure.
 5. The computer systemof claim 4, wherein the traffic data comprises traffic flow data for oneor more roadways within the geographic region traffic.
 6. The computersystem of claim 5, wherein the physical data is data regarding thephysical layout of the geographic region including building locationsand infrastructure.
 7. The computer system of claim 6, wherein thephysical data comprises civil information, architectural, roadway,electrical, water/wastewater, communications, housing, ranges,environmental, training, air field operations, road networks, terrain,building locations, unit locations, range locations, training facilitylocations, classroom locations.
 8. The computer system of claim 6,wherein the physical data comprises one of digital aerial images,digital satellite images, and digital maps.
 9. The computer system ofclaim 8, wherein the one of digital aerial images, digital satelliteimages, and digital maps may be utilized to create a geospatial modelfor the geographic region.
 10. The computer system of claim 9, whereinthe time period is more than one month.
 11. The computer system of claim10, wherein the geographic region is more than one square mile.
 12. Thecomputer system of claim 11, wherein the geographic region is one of amilitary installation, a municipality, a university and an airport. 13.The computer system of claim 12, wherein the receiving component isconfigured to receive one or more changes to the at least one of thephysical, operation, traffic and construction data.
 14. The computersystem of claim 13, wherein the comparing component is configured toutilize the changes to the at least one of the physical operational,traffic and construction data to reforecast the demand and availabilityof the at least one resource for the geographic region over thespecified time period.
 15. The computer system of claim 14, furthercomprising: a presentation component for presenting to a user the demandand availability of the at least one resource for the geographic regionover the specified time period.
 16. The computer system of claim 15,wherein the presentation component presents to a user the demand andavailability of the at least one resource for the geographic region overthe specified time period in the geospatial model.
 17. Acomputer-implemented method for presenting a geospatial model for ageographic region and associated scheduling data, the method comprising:presenting to a user a geospatial model for a geographic region for aspecified time period; and presenting to the user scheduling data forone or more resources of the geographic region within the geospatialmodel for the specified time period.
 18. The method of claim 17, whereinthe scheduling data is presented within the geospatial model atcoordinates where the resource is located.
 19. The method of claim 18,further comprising: receiving selection of one or more resources withinthe geographic region by a user from a graphical user interfacepresenting the geospatial model for the geographic region for thespecified time period and presenting the scheduling data for the one ormore resources of the geographic region within the geospatial model forthe specified time period in response to the user's selection.
 20. Themethod of claim 17, wherein the scheduling data is for use of the one ormore resources by a group.
 21. The method of claim 17, wherein thegeospatial model is created utilizing one or more of a digital terrainmodel, digital satellite images, digital aerial images, digital maps andcombinations thereof.
 22. The method of claim 17, wherein the one ormore resources comprise one or more of classrooms, buildings, land,ranges, roadways, repairs, personnel and transportation.
 23. The methodof claim 17, wherein the geographic region is more than one square mile.24. The method of claim 17, wherein the geographic region is one of amilitary installation, a municipality, a university and an airport. 25.A computer-implemented method for forecasting demand and availability ofresources for a military installation, the method comprising: receivingand storing of physical, operational, traffic and construction data fora military installation for a specified time period; comparing theoperational needs for at least one resource for the militaryinstallation for a specified time period from the operational data tothe resources indicated as being available from the physical data,construction data and traffic data to forecast demands and availabilityof the at least one resource for the geographic region over thespecified time period and to determine if the demand for the at leastone resource exceeds the availability of the at least one resource;storing the forecasted demand and availability of the at least oneresource for the military installation for the specified time period;and presenting to a user the demand and availability of the at least oneresource for the military installation over the specified time period ina geospatial model.